Jayden Daniels

Tom Pelissero reports the Commanders are hopeful that Jayden Daniels will start next week after returning to practice this week. Daniels wore a brace on his non-throwing elbow this week in practice, and will offseason surgery isn’t off the table, it should allow him to play out this year.

This is trending in a much more positive direction than originally feared – a potential season-ending surgery. Terry McLaurin (likely out this week), Stefon Diggs, Antonio Williams, Chig Okonkwo all have much higher ceilings with Daniels at QB over Marcus Mariota. Fantasy football managers will need to keep an eye on next week’s practice reports.

Commanders superstar QB Jayden Daniels underwent imaging today and will consult with a variety of experts before deciding next step. It is the same injury that limited Daniels to 7 games a year ago. Daniels was off to a strong start in Dallas prior to the injury, completing 11-17 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown, while adding 69 yards on 7 carries.

This is obviously a blow for Daniels and the Commanders. He was looking primed to return to his 2024 form, where he ranked No. 3 in Total QBR and No. 4 in Fantasy Points Per Dropback on his way to 3568 passing yards, 891 rushing yards and 31 total touchdowns. Marcus Mariota now steps in as the QB for the foreseeable future. While he did an admirable job filling in for Daniels last year, this will hurt Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs and the ancillary pieces in Washington. Fantasy football managers should stay tuned for further updates.

Deja vu for Jayden Daniels as he suffered a left elbow dislocation against the Dallas Cowboys today, mirroring the injury he suffered in week 9 of last year. As fantasy football managers will remember, Daniels returned 3 weeks after the initial injury only to aggravate it, and ultimately miss the rest of the season. It’s possible the team takes a more cautious approach with their franchise quarterback this time, although that would almost certainly extend his return timeline.

In the meantime,  Marcus Mariota will step into the starting quarterback role for the Washington Commanders. Last year when stepping in for Daniels, Mariota averaged a 61% completion percentage, with 7.5 yards per attempt, and 10 touchdowns across 11 games. Rookie 7th round pick Athan Kaliakmanis will likely step into the QB2 role, unless the team opts to bring in additional competition.

Commanders tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo will miss the upcoming divisional clash at the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 because of the hamstring injury he sustained in the Week 1 season opener against the Eagles, where he recorded 2 receptions for 16 yards on 3 targets, prior to getting injured in the third quarter.

Okonkwo was expected to be Jayden Daniels’ second passing option behind WR Terry McClaurin, but the addition of veteran WR Stefon Diggs, and the sudden rise of stud rookie WR Antonio Williams, with his 29.2 (85th percentile) Burst Score and 10.86 (90th percentile) Agility Score has even further suppressed those expectations.

Okonkwo missing September disrupts any rapport he may have been developing with Daniels. His absence will leave the Commanders very thin at tight end. Blocking TE John Bates is next up on the depth chart along with third-year move tight end Ben Sinnott, who will step into Okonkwo’s featured role after running 10 routes in Week 1. ~Jason Diaz

Antonio Williams has surpassed third-year wideout Luke McCaffrey, but he faces a steep climb for Route Participation behind established starters. Terry McLaurin and newly acquired veteran Stefon Diggs will capture the high-leverage Target Share and Air Yards Share in this offense.

The upgraded pass-catching depth ultimately elevates the passing efficiency metrics and overall ceiling for Jayden Daniels. Since the Diggs signing, Williams has transformed from a high floor volume play to a fringier upside play in fantasy football redraft formats.